Corven_Ren Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 I see a lot of referenes to what they call four colors.....I am not familiar with this term depite my almost 20 years of role-playing....I have meant to ask before now but it's something I just have forgotton to post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Horror Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Re: OK Call me stupid but..... The term comes from four colour comic books. Usually referred to stories where characters are good and stand for truth, justice and the American way of life. Ie. not characters who have any sort of moral ambiguity. I think. The Horror Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corven_Ren Posted March 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Re: OK Call me stupid but..... The term comes from four colour comic books. Usually referred to stories where characters are good and stand for truth, justice and the American way of life. Ie. not characters who have any sort of moral ambiguity. I think. The Horror Ok so like Supes, Spidey or Cap right. Not Batman or the Punisher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Neilson Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Re: OK Call me stupid but..... The term derives from the printing process originally used for comics - four colors (red, yellow, blue and black) could be used. I think there are three shades of each of the primary colors, and I anticipate three of black, leaving 256 possible combinations. This was used, if I recall correctly, well into the '70s, certainly the full golden and silver ages, and has come to refer to the subgenre when good is Good, evil is Evil and ambiguity is absent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Re: OK Call me stupid but..... KA posted this a couple of days ago in another thread, and I thought it was concise enough that I copied it: The four-color genre is not about life and death, it is about right and wrong. Villains are not going to kill you, they are going to do things that cause harm to innocent people, if you do not stop them. If your character is developed properly, with the proper background, there should be reasons built in as to why you would be willing to sacrifice yourself to help others. The sacrifice itself is just as important as winning. Every time a hero takes a punch, it is one less that would be thrown at an innocent citizen. While your character will only die under extremely unusual circumstances, it is par for the course for them to be punched, kicked, blasted, thrown, knocked unconscious, kidnapped, put in deathtraps, and generally beaten to a pulp. These elements move Superhero stories along. If Spiderman beats the Green Goblin the first time they fight, how will he ever hear about his Master Plan? If Reed Richards pulls out the Ultimate Nullifier when Galactus is still a light year away, how will he hear about the tragic fate of The Silver Surfer? This is not a game of checkers, we are trying to tell a story. Part of that story is the hero, after taking a beating and licking his wounds, heroically rising up to fight again. Hiding, sniping, and running away short circuit all of that. Which means they also short-circuit the fun of the game. Read comics! Take a look at some of the Marvel Essentials or DC Archives. Heroes take a pounding all the time, it is what makes them heroic. Anyone can snipe with a rifle from 600 yards away, it takes a hero to take his lumps and keep on fighting. This isn't about winning, the only way to win is for everyone to enjoy themselves. Four color role-playing isn't playing chess, it is more like making mud pies. You can't stand back with a long stick and try to keep your shoes clean, you have to wade in and get your hands dirty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Re: OK Call me stupid but..... The term derives from the printing process originally used for comics - four colors (red, yellow, blue and black) could be used. I think there are three shades of each of the primary colors, and I anticipate three of black, leaving 256 possible combinations. Pretty close. Only solid black was used. Originally it was there for registration purposes. It's a lot easier to keep your press going if a solid black line contains your mixed colors. Any slight misregistarion is hidden by the black. The reason there were no shades of black was that the black had to be run as dense (opaque) as possible. Also, the original comics were printed so poorly that black outlines were really necessary to tell the story. They "carried" the information. The actual palette was only 64, if you include black and white (absence of ink). Keith "23 years of pre-press" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Worldmaker Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Re: OK Call me stupid but..... KA posted this a couple of days ago in another thread' date=' and I thought it was concise enough that I copied it:[/i'] Who posted this? I intend to share it, and I want to give credit where its due. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KA. Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Re: OK Call me stupid but..... Who posted this? I intend to share it' date=' and I want to give credit where its due.[/quote'] That would be me. KA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Worldmaker Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Re: OK Call me stupid but..... That would be me. Which was the other thread? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackKnight Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Re: OK Call me stupid but..... That would be me. KA. Well said, sir*. I agree completely, and that's why I've been a fan of comics all my life (though not necessarily of all the comics produced throughout my life). And this is why I want my kids to dig comics...if I can find the right kind of comics to give them these days. *apologies for my chauvinism if you're not a "sir" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirViss Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Re: OK Call me stupid but..... Great definition KA. I hope you don't mind if I share it with a few friends... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted March 29, 2004 Report Share Posted March 29, 2004 Re: OK Call me stupid but..... Which was the other thread?It's here in the Champions forum; titled "Help: Sniper Syndrome," hence the referrence in KA's four-color posting about running away and sniping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KA. Posted March 30, 2004 Report Share Posted March 30, 2004 Re: OK Call me stupid but..... Which was the other thread? Whoops, that would have been helpful, wouldn't it? http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15424 KA. P.S. Thanks to everyone else who liked the post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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